Topics In Demand
Notification
New

No notification found.

Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) and how this novel technology will lead the future of Real-time location systems (RTLS)
Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) and how this novel technology will lead the future of Real-time location systems (RTLS)

July 2, 2021

12

0

Precise indoor location systems have been under constant development & evolution since the early 1950s and it still hasn’t stopped. So, in this conquest for perfecting the science of precise indoor locating, we’ve now reached an era of the latest and best (for now, of course) technology in delivering the most precise indoor location information possible and that is Ultra-wide Band, UWB as an abbreviation. 

 

While iBeacon-based Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology is very popular today, being used widely with smartphone applications that deliver location-specific automatically to a user indoor or outdoors; Beacons are really nice as most devices have Bluetooth receivers module and can communicate effortlessly with the beacons. But here’s the catch, they do have certain drawbacks in terms of accurate positioning and latency.

 

From an R&D perspective, the hardware used for UWB is very similar if not almost identical to the regular BLE beacons and sensors that we all know but the main difference lies in the concept and technology of how UWB works. Just like BLE, UWB has Tags (think of UWB’s version of beacons) and Anchors (think of UWB’s version of sensors). The best part is UWB installations are far easier to set up than BLE. This allows for a whole new level of accuracy by up to even 20cm or less, which is a huge leap from the 1m accuracy offered by BLE. In addition to this, UWB opens up new concepts of tracking that calculate distances based on the signal’s “Time of Flight” (ToF) or “Time Difference of Arrival” (TDoA) which allows you to even track objects and people in a 3D space!! 

 

While all of this sounds amazing, there is still a certain level of uncertainty mainly in the reception of UWB for mainstream BLE clients probably because this technology is still in its nascent stage. Luckily, since the world has started realising the potential of UWB and its applications, we will see more solutions and products powered with UWB technology in the very near future as the prices of hardware and software for UWB are rapidly decreasing. Though the lack of UWB hardware on the smartphone is still not that great, we’ve seen companies like Apple and Samsung taking the first steps in the UWB bandwagon by introducing UWB chips in the iPhone 11 series and Galaxy S21 series and above respectively. This is a welcome move as more companies will quickly follow suit.

 

With all this being said, the future is bright for UWB solutions tech companies across the world especially in the IoT location monitoring space are dedicated to leading the way into the UWB revolution.

 


That the contents of third-party articles/blogs published here on the website, and the interpretation of all information in the article/blogs such as data, maps, numbers, opinions etc. displayed in the article/blogs and views or the opinions expressed within the content are solely of the author's; and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of NASSCOM or its affiliates in any manner. NASSCOM does not take any liability w.r.t. content in any manner and will not be liable in any manner whatsoever for any kind of liability arising out of any act, error or omission. The contents of third-party article/blogs published, are provided solely as convenience; and the presence of these articles/blogs should not, under any circumstances, be considered as an endorsement of the contents by NASSCOM in any manner; and if you chose to access these articles/blogs , you do so at your own risk.


© Copyright nasscom. All Rights Reserved.